U.S. patent number 10,290,561 [Application Number 15/279,222] was granted by the patent office on 2019-05-14 for thermal interfaces for integrated circuit packages.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intel Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Edvin Cetegen, Kedar Dhane, Chandra M. Jha, Omkar G. Karhade.
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United States Patent |
10,290,561 |
Cetegen , et al. |
May 14, 2019 |
Thermal interfaces for integrated circuit packages
Abstract
A thermal interface may include a wired network made of a first
TIM, and a second TIM surrounding the wired network. A heat
spreader lid may include a wired network attached to an inner
surface of the heat spreader lid. An IC package may include a heat
spreader lid placed over a first electronic component and a second
electronic component. A first thermal interface may be formed
between the first electronic component and the inner surface of the
heat spreader lid, and a second thermal interface may be formed
between the second electronic component and the inner surface of
the heat spreader lid. The first thermal interface may include a
wired network of a first TIM surrounded by a second TIM, while the
second thermal interface may include the second TIM, without a
wired network of the first TIM. Other embodiments may be described
and/or claimed.
Inventors: |
Cetegen; Edvin (Chandler,
AZ), Karhade; Omkar G. (Chandler, AZ), Dhane; Kedar
(Chandler, AZ), Jha; Chandra M. (Chandler, AZ) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Intel Corporation (Santa Clara,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
61686614 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/279,222 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2016 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20180090411 A1 |
Mar 29, 2018 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
23/3736 (20130101); H01L 24/32 (20130101); H01L
23/433 (20130101); H01L 24/29 (20130101); H01L
23/3733 (20130101); H01L 23/42 (20130101); H01L
23/4275 (20130101); H01L 2924/37001 (20130101); H01L
24/16 (20130101); H01L 2924/1434 (20130101); H01L
2224/73204 (20130101); H01L 2924/3511 (20130101); H01L
2224/1134 (20130101); H01L 2924/15311 (20130101); H01L
2924/16251 (20130101); H01L 2224/92125 (20130101); H01L
2924/19043 (20130101); H01L 2225/06513 (20130101); H01L
2224/16227 (20130101); H01L 24/13 (20130101); H01L
25/0655 (20130101); H01L 2224/13109 (20130101); H01L
2924/14 (20130101); H01L 2225/06517 (20130101); H01L
2224/13147 (20130101); H01L 2224/11334 (20130101); H01L
2924/1659 (20130101); H01L 2224/73253 (20130101); H01L
2224/32225 (20130101); H01L 2225/06568 (20130101); H01L
2224/32245 (20130101); H01L 2224/92225 (20130101); H01L
2224/13139 (20130101); H01L 25/0657 (20130101); H01L
2224/83193 (20130101); H01L 2225/06589 (20130101); H01L
24/92 (20130101); H01L 2224/17181 (20130101); H01L
2924/1421 (20130101); H01L 2924/19041 (20130101); H01L
2224/13111 (20130101); H01L 2224/16145 (20130101); H01L
2224/13111 (20130101); H01L 2924/01082 (20130101); H01L
2924/00014 (20130101); H01L 2224/13111 (20130101); H01L
2924/01047 (20130101); H01L 2924/01029 (20130101); H01L
2224/73204 (20130101); H01L 2224/16225 (20130101); H01L
2224/32225 (20130101); H01L 2924/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
23/367 (20060101); H01L 23/373 (20060101); H01L
23/42 (20060101); H01L 23/427 (20060101); H01L
23/433 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Flex & Rigid Flex PCB's, [online] Aug. 28, 2015 [Retrieved Jan.
19, 2017], http://www.epectec.com/flex/, 6 pages. cited by
applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Dec. 6, 2017
for International Application No. PCT/US2017/048846, 14 pages.
cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Wright; Tucker J
Assistant Examiner: Baptiste; Wilner Jean
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt,
P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising: a substrate; an
electronic component having a first surface and a second surface
opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface is coupled
to a surface of the substrate by a connector; a heat spreader lid
over the electronic component and the substrate; and a thermal
interface disposed between an inner surface of the heat spreader
lid and the second surface of the electronic component, to couple
the heat spreader lid to the electronic component, wherein the
thermal interface includes: a wired network of a first thermal
interface material (TIM), wherein the wired network includes a
plurality of deformable units having a triangle shape prior to a
formation of the wired network, wherein in response to the
formation of the wired network the units deform to change their
shape to include a first part of the triangular shape and a second
part of the triangular shape, wherein a sharp end of the first part
interfaces a sharp end of the second part, wherein the first and
second parts of the units are contained within the thermal
interface; and a second TIM, wherein the second TIM surrounds the
wired network.
2. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the wired network is
deformable.
3. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the first TIM includes a
metal, a solder material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold,
silver, iron, steel, or a combination of metal and alloy.
4. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the second TIM includes an
epoxy resin, a cyanoacrylate, a thermal grease, a thermal gel, a
phase-change material, a polymer, or a ceramic material.
5. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the wired network is
separated from the inner surface of the heat spreader lid, and the
wired network is separated from the second surface of the
electronic component.
6. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the wired network is in
physical contact with the inner surface of the heat spreader
lid.
7. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the wired network is
completely within an enclosure of the second surface of the
electronic component and a corresponding portion of the inner
surface of the heat spreader lid.
8. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the connector between the
first surface of the electronic component and the surface of the
substrate is a stud, a wire-bonding wire, a bump, a ball, or a
solder pillar.
9. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the IC package is a chip
scale package (CSP), a wafer-level package (WLP), a multi-chip
package (WCP), a quad-flat no-leads (QFN) package, a dual-flat
no-leads (DFN) package, a flip chip package, or a ball grid array
(BGA) package.
10. The IC package of claim 1, wherein the electronic component is
a first electronic component, the thermal interface between the
inner surface of the heat spreader lid and the second surface is a
first thermal interface, and the IC package further includes: a
second electronic component between the substrate and the heat
spreader lid, wherein the second electronic component has a third
surface coupled to the inner surface of the heat spreader lid by a
second thermal interface, the second thermal interface includes a
third TIM same as the second TIM of the first thermal interface,
and a first distance between the inner surface of the heat spreader
lid and the second surface is larger than a second distance between
the inner surface of the heat spreader lid and the third
surface.
11. The IC package of claim 10, wherein the second electronic
component has a fourth surface coupled to the surface of the
substrate, and the second electronic component is placed on the
surface of the substrate in parallel with the first electronic
component.
12. The IC package of claim 10, wherein the second electronic
component is placed between the second surface and the inner
surface of the heat spreader lid, and has a fourth surface coupled
to a portion of the second surface.
13. The IC package of claim 10, wherein a difference between the
first distance and the second distance is between about 50
micrometers (um) and about 400 um.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of electronic circuits.
More particularly, the present disclosure relates to thermal
interfaces in integrated circuit (IC) packages.
BACKGROUND
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of
generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless
otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section
are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not
admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
An electronic component, e.g., an IC chip or a die, may be coupled
with other circuits using an IC package that can be attached to a
printed circuit board (PCB). An IC package may include different
materials with various thermal characteristics. For example, a
substrate of an IC package may have a different coefficient of
thermal expansion (CTE) than an IC die within the IC package.
Thermal behaviors of different materials in an IC package may cause
mechanical and thermal stresses, which in turn may lead to package
warpage. Package warpage may place stress on the connections of the
electronic component, which may in turn lead to detachment and/or
physical damage to the electronic component within the IC package.
Hence, an IC package may include a heat spreader in the form of a
cap or a lid placed over the electronic component to aid in
dispersing heat and to reduce package warpage. An electronic
component, e.g., a die, may be interfaced with the heat spreader
lid by a thermal interface that may conduct heat from the
electronic component to the heat spreader lid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed
description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To
facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like
structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example,
and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying
drawings.
FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) illustrate cross section views of example
integrated circuit (IC) packages including a thermal interface
between an electronic component and a heat spreader lid, according
to various embodiments.
FIGS. 2(a)-2(b) illustrate cross section views of example IC
packages including multiple thermal interfaces between multiple
electronic components and a heat spreader lid, according to various
embodiments.
FIGS. 3(a)-3(d) illustrate cross section views of example heat
spreader lids with a wired network, according to various
embodiments.
FIGS. 4(a)-4(b) illustrate cross section views of an example
application of a heat spreader lid with a deformable wired network
as a part of a thermal interface in an IC package, according to
various embodiments.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example computing device that may employ the
apparatuses and/or methods described herein, according to various
embodiments.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example process of attaching a deformable
wired network to a heat spreader lid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Electronic components, e.g., integrated circuit (IC) chips or dies,
may be placed into protective IC packages to allow easy handling
and assembly onto printed circuit boards (PCB) and to protect the
electronic components from damage. There may be many different
types of packages. With the continuous increase in integration of
more transistors and functionalities, multi-chip packages (MCPs)
may be of interest to place multiple electronic components into a
single package. MCPs may enable rich applications in space
constrained designs by combining multiple electronic components,
such as processors, and/or memory components, into one single
package. When multiple electronic components are placed into a
single package, the multiple electronic components may be placed in
parallel on a common substrate. Additionally or alternatively, the
multiple electronic components may be placed one over another in a
stacking fashion.
An IC package may include a heat spreader in the form of a cap or a
lid, which may be referred to as a heat spreader lid, placed over
one or more electronic components to aid in dispersing heat and to
reduce the package warpage. An electronic component of an IC
package, e.g., a die, may be interfaced with the heat spreader lid
by a thermal interface that conducts heat from the electronic
component to the heat spreader lid. For a MCP, there may be
multiple thermal interfaces between the multiple electronic
components within the MCP and the heat spreader lid. Two thermal
interfaces of two electronic components within a MCP to a heat
spreader lid may have different heights, which may be caused by the
different heights of the two electronic components, or caused by
the different positions of the two electronic components within the
MCP. In some packages, the difference between the heights of two
thermal interfaces may be between approximately 50-approximately
400 micrometers (um). If two thermal interfaces of different
heights are made of the same or similar thermal interface material
(TIM), there may be uneven heat conduction for the two thermal
interfaces, which may in turn result in the IC package warpage and
place stress on the connections of the electronic components within
the IC package. Furthermore, such uneven heat conduction may cause
higher die temperature and lower performance for the die with lower
thermal conduction.
In embodiments, an IC package may include an electronic component
over a substrate, and a heat spreader lid placed over the
electronic component and the substrate. A thermal interface may be
formed between an inner surface of the heat spreader lid and a
surface of the electronic component. The thermal interface may
include a wired network made of a first TIM, and a second TIM
surrounding the wired network. The first TIM may include a metal, a
solder material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron,
steel, or a combination of metal and alloy. The second TIM may
include an epoxy resin, a cyanoacrylate, a thermal grease, a
thermal gel, a phase-change material, a polymer, or a ceramic
material. The wired network may be separated from the inner surface
of the heat spreader lid, and/or separated from the electronic
component. Additionally or alternatively, the wired network may be
in physical contact with the inner surface of the heat spreader
lid. For an IC package with such a thermal interface, a majority of
the heat may be conducted though the wire network of the thermal
interface.
In embodiments, a heat spreader lid may include an inner surface
and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface. A wired network
may be attached to the inner surface of the heat spreader lid. The
wired network may include a TIM, such as a metal, a solder
material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron, steel,
or a combination of metal and alloy. The wired network may include
a plurality of units, where a unit of the plurality of units may be
of a triangle shape, a half circle shape, a circular shape, a
rectangle shape, or others. The wired network may be deformable, to
change in shape and size when used in a thermal interface.
In embodiments, an IC package may include a first electronic
component and a second electronic component over a substrate. A
heat spreader lid may be placed over the first electronic
component, the second electronic component, and the substrate. A
first thermal interface may be formed between the first electronic
component and the inner surface of the heat spreader lid, and a
second thermal interface may be formed between the second
electronic component and the inner surface of the heat spreader
lid, where the first thermal interface may have a height larger
than a height of the second thermal interface. Additionally or
alternatively, the first thermal interface may have a same or
similar height as a height of the second thermal interface, while
the first electronic component may emit more heat, and hence the
first thermal interface may conduct more heat than the second
thermal interface does.
The first thermal interface may include a wired network of a first
TIM surrounded by a second TIM. On the other hand, the second
thermal interface may include the second TIM, without a wired
network of the first TIM. The wired network of a first TIM within
the first thermal interface may help to conduct heat better than
the second TIM alone. Therefore, the time for conducting heat
through the first thermal interface from the first electronic
component may be similar to the time for conducting heat through
the second thermal interface from the second electronic component.
In addition, the wired network of the first TIM within the first
thermal interface may also provide better physical support for the
first electronic component.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like
numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by
way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be
understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or
logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description
is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of
embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
Aspects of the disclosure are disclosed in the accompanying
description. Alternate embodiments of the present disclosure and
their equivalents may be devised without parting from the spirit or
scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that like
elements disclosed below are indicated by like reference numbers in
the drawings.
Various operations may be described as multiple actions or
operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in
understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of
description should not be construed as to imply that these
operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these
operations may not be performed in the order of presentation.
Operations described may be performed in a different order than the
described embodiment. Various additional operations may be
performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional
embodiments.
For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "A and/or B"
means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present
disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and/or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and
B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).
The description may use the phrases "in an embodiment," or "in
embodiments," which may each refer to one or more of the same or
different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising,"
"including," "having," and the like, as used with respect to
embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.
The description may use the phrase "communicatively coupled." The
phrase may mean that an electrical signal may propagate among the
elements that are communicatively coupled.
As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or
include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an
electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group)
and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or
more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit,
and/or other suitable components that provide the described
functionality.
FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) illustrate cross section views of example IC
packages, e.g., an IC package 100, an IC package 110, or an IC
package 120, including an electronic component, e.g., an electronic
component 105, an electronic component 115, or an electronic
component 125, and a thermal interface, e.g., a thermal interface
106, a thermal interface 116, or a thermal interface 126, between
the electronic component and a heat spreader lid, according to
various embodiments. For clarity, features of an IC package, e.g.,
the IC package 100, the IC package 110, or the IC package 120, may
be described below as examples for understanding an example IC
package with a thermal interface between an electronic component
and a heat spreader lid. It is to be understood that there may be
more or fewer components within an IC package. Further, it is to be
understood that one or more of the components within the IC package
may include additional and/or varying features from the description
below, and may include any device that one having ordinary skill in
the art would consider and/or refer to as an IC package.
In embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1(a)-1(c), the IC package 100,
the IC package 110, or the IC package 120, may be a chip scale
package (CSP), a wafer-level package (WLP), a multi-chip package
(WCP), a quad-flat no-leads (QFN) package, a dual-flat no-leads
(DFN) package, a flip chip package, or a ball grid array (BGA)
package. A CSP may be a flip chip device including solder balls or
bumps that are approximately 250 um tall. A wafer-level package may
be an IC package at a wafer level, instead of individual dies
obtained from dicing them from a wafer. Both QFN and DFN packages
may refer to packages that connect ICs to the surfaces of PCBs
without through-holes.
FIG. 1(a) illustrates the IC package 100 including a substrate 101,
an electronic component 105, and a heat spreader lid 109 placed
over the electronic component 105 and the substrate 101. The
electronic component 105 may have a surface 1051 and a surface 1053
opposite to the surface 1051. The surface 1053 of the electronic
component 105 may be coupled to a surface 1011 of the substrate 101
by a connector 103.
The heat spreader lid 109 may be coupled to the electronic
component 105 through a thermal interface 106 between an inner
surface 1091 of the heat spreader lid 109 and the surface 1051 of
the electronic component 105. The thermal interface 106 may include
a wired network 107, which may include a first thermal interface
material (TIM). The thermal interface 106 may also include a second
TIM 108. In embodiments, the second TIM 108 may surround the wired
network 107, and further cover the gap between the inner surface
1091 and the surface 1051.
In embodiments, the substrate 101 may be a polymeric substrate, a
non-polymeric substrate, a silicon substrate, a silicon on
insulator (SOI) substrate, or a silicon on sapphire (SOS)
substrate, among various other substrate materials. In embodiments,
the component 105 may include active devices, or passive devices
such as capacitors, resistors. For example, the component 105 may
be a chip for a processor, a memory chip, a radio frequency (RF)
chip, or others. The heat spreader lid 109 may be placed on the
surface 1011 of the substrate 101, over the electronic component
105, so that the electronic component 105 is placed in an enclosure
formed by the heat spreader lid 109 and the substrate 101. In
embodiments, the heat spreader lid 109 may have a shape of a frame
or ring, e.g., a rectangular ring, a circular ring, or other ring
shape. The heat spreader lid 109 may be made from a metal, such as
stainless steel, copper, and/or other material.
The surface 1053 of the electronic component 105 may be coupled to
the surface 1011 of the substrate 101 by the connector 103. One or
more such connectors may be used to make the connection between the
electronic component 105 and the substrate 101. In embodiments, the
connector 103 may be a stud, a wire-bonding wire, a bump, a ball, a
solder pillar, or others. For example, the connector 103 may
include one or more solder balls, where the solder balls may
include solder alloy such as tin-lead (Sn--Pb) solders or lead free
solders such as tin/silver/copper or some other lead-free solder.
In addition, an underfill layer may be between the electronic
component 105 and the substrate 101, not shown for simplicity
reasons.
In embodiments, the thermal interface 106 between the inner surface
1091 of the heat spreader lid 109 and the surface 1051 of the
electronic component 105 may include the wired network 107
surrounded by the second TIM 108. In embodiments, the first TIM for
the wired network 107 may include a metal, a solder material,
copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron, steel, or a
combination of metal and alloy. In embodiments, the second TIM 108
may include an epoxy resin, a cyanoacrylate, a thermal grease, a
thermal gel, a phase-change material, a polymer, or a ceramic
material.
In embodiments, the wired network 107 may be in physical contact
with the inner surface 1091 of the heat spreader lid 109. In
addition, the wired network 107 may also be in physical contact
with the surface 1051 of the electronic component 105. In
embodiments, the wired network 107 may be completely within an
enclosure of the surface 1051 and a corresponding portion of the
inner surface 1091 of the heat spreader lid 109. Additionally or
alternatively, the wired network 107 may be separated from the
inner surface 1091 of the heat spreader lid 109, and separated from
the surface 1051 of the electronic component 105.
In embodiments, the wired network 107 may include a plurality of
units, where a unit may be of a triangle shape as shown in FIG.
1(a). Additionally or alternatively, a unit may be of a half circle
shape, a circular shape, or a rectangle shape, or a twisted
rectangle shape, as shown in FIG. 1(b) and FIG. 1(c). There may be
many other shapes of the unit of the wired network 107 not shown.
The wired network 107 may be deformable, that it may be of a
different shape or size after the wired network 107 is included
into the thermal interface 106. More details of examples of the
wired network 107 may be illustrated in FIGS. 3(a)-3(d), and FIG.
4.
FIG. 1(b) illustrates the IC package 110 including a substrate 111,
an electronic component 115, and a heat spreader lid 119 placed
over the electronic component 115 and the substrate 111. The
detailed description for each part of the IC package 110 may be
similar to the description of a similar part for the IC package
100.
For example, the electronic component 115 may have a surface 1151
and a surface 1153 opposite to the surface 1151. The surface 1153
of the electronic component 115 may be coupled to a surface 1111 of
the substrate 111 by a connector 113. The heat spreader lid 119 may
be coupled to the electronic component 115 through a thermal
interface 116 between an inner surface 1191 of the heat spreader
lid 119 and the surface 1151 of the electronic component 115. The
thermal interface 116 may include a wired network 117, which may
include a first thermal interface material (TIM). The thermal
interface 116 may also include a second TIM 118. In embodiments,
the second TIM 118 may surround the wired network 117. In
embodiments, the wired network 117 may include a plurality of
units, where a unit may be of a twisted rectangle shape.
FIG. 1(c) illustrates the IC package 120 including a substrate 121,
an electronic component 125, and a heat spreader lid 129 placed
over the electronic component 125 and the substrate 121. The
detailed description for each part of the IC package 120 may be
similar to the description of a similar part for the IC package
100.
For example, the electronic component 125 may have a surface 1251
and a surface 1253 opposite to the surface 1251. The surface 1253
of the electronic component 125 may be coupled to a surface 1211 of
the substrate 121 by a connector 123. The heat spreader lid 129 may
be coupled to the electronic component 125 through a thermal
interface 126 between an inner surface 1291 of the heat spreader
lid 129 and the surface 1251 of the electronic component 125. The
thermal interface 126 may include a wired network 127, which may
include a first thermal interface material (TIM). The thermal
interface 126 may also include a second TIM 128. In embodiments,
the second TIM 128 may surround the wired network 127. In
embodiments, the wired network 127 may include a plurality of
units, where a unit may be of a half circle shape. In addition, the
heat spreader lid 129 may not be in direct contact with the
substrate 121. Instead, an adhesive 122 may be in between the
spreader lid 129 and the substrate 121.
FIGS. 2(a)-2(b) illustrate cross section views of example IC
packages, e.g., an IC package 210, or an IC package 220, including
multiple electronic components and multiple thermal interfaces
between the electronic components and a heat spreader lid,
according to various embodiments. For example, the IC package 210
may include an electronic component 2151 having a thermal interface
2161, and an electronic component 2153 having a thermal interface
2163. The IC package 220 may include an electronic component 2251
having a thermal interface 2261, and an electronic component 2253
having a thermal interface 2263. For clarity, features of an IC
package, e.g., the IC package 210, or the IC package 220, may be
described below as examples for understanding an example IC package
with a thermal interface between multiple electronic components and
a heat spreader lid. It is to be understood that there may be more
or fewer components with an IC package. Further, it is to be
understood that one or more of the components within the IC package
may include additional and/or varying features from the description
below, and may include any device that one having ordinary skill in
the art would consider and/or refer to as an IC package.
FIG. 2(a) illustrates the IC package 210 including a substrate 211,
the electronic component 2151, the electronic component 2153, and a
heat spreader lid 219 placed over the electronic component 2151,
the electronic component 2153, and the substrate 211. The
electronic component 2151 and the electronic component 2153 may be
placed in parallel on the substrate 211, and coupled to the
substrate 211 by connectors 213. The heat spreader lid 219 may be
coupled to the electronic component 2151 through the thermal
interface 2161 connecting an inner surface 2191 of the heat
spreader lid 219 to a surface of the electronic component 2151, and
coupled to the electronic component 2153 through the thermal
interface 2163 connecting the inner surface 2191 of the heat
spreader lid 219 to a surface of the electronic component 2153.
In embodiments, the thermal interface 2161 may have a height D1,
and the thermal interface 2163 may have a height D2, where D1 may
be larger than D2. The difference between D1 and D2 may be caused
by a difference in the height H1 of the electronic component 2151,
and the height H2 of the electronic component 2153. In some
embodiments, the difference between D1 and D2, or similarly between
H1 and H2, may be in a range of approximately 50 to approximately
400 um. If the thermal interface 2161 and the thermal interface
2163 have a same structure, the heat may take longer time to reach
the heat spreader lid 219 from the electronic component 2151
through the thermal interface 2161 because the thermal interface
2161 has larger height, compared to the time to reach the heat
spreader lid 219 from the electronic component 2153 through the
thermal interface 2163. The uneven time for heat to travel through
the thermal interface 2161 and the thermal interface 2163 may
result in stress to part of the package 210, further causing
damages to the package 210.
In embodiments, the thermal interface 2161 may include a wired
network 217 of a first TIM surrounded by a second TIM 2181. On the
other hand, the thermal interface 2163 may include a TIM 2183,
without a wired network of the first TIM. In embodiments, the TIM
2183 may be same or similar to the second TIM 2181. The wired
network 217 within the thermal interface 2161 may help to conduct
heat better than the second TIM 2181 alone. Therefore, the time for
conducting heat through the thermal interface 2161 from the
electronic component 2151 may be similar to the time for conducting
heat through the thermal interface 2163 from the electronic
component 2153. In addition, the wired network 217 of the first TIM
within the thermal interface 2161 may also provide better physical
support for the electronic component 2151.
In embodiments, the first TIM for the wired network 217 may be a
material that conducts heat faster than the second TIM 2181, or the
TIM 2183, so that the overall time for conducting heat through the
thermal interface 2161 from the electronic component 2151 may be
similar to the time for conducting heat through the thermal
interface 2163 from the electronic component 2153. For example, the
first TIM for the wired network 217 may include a metal, a solder
material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron, steel,
or a combination of metal and alloy; while the second TIM 2181
and/or the TIM 2183 may include an epoxy resin, a cyanoacrylate, a
thermal grease, a thermal gel, a phase-change material, a polymer,
or a ceramic material.
FIG. 2(b) illustrates the IC package 220 including a substrate 221,
the electronic component 2251, the electronic component 2253, and a
heat spreader lid 229 placed over the electronic component 2251,
the electronic component 2253, and the substrate 221. The
electronic component 2251 and the electronic component 2253 may be
in a stacking fashion that the electronic component 2253 is placed
over the electronic component 2251, while the electronic component
2251 is placed over the substrate 221. The heat spreader lid 219
may be coupled to the electronic component 2251 through the thermal
interface 2261 connecting an inner surface 2291 of the heat
spreader lid 229 to a surface of the electronic component 2251, and
coupled to the electronic component 2253 through the thermal
interface 2263 connecting the inner surface 2291 of the heat
spreader lid 229 to a surface of the electronic component 2253.
In embodiments, the thermal interface 2261 may have a height D3,
and the thermal interface 2263 may have a height D4, where D3 may
be larger than D4. The difference between D3 and D4 may be caused
by the positions of the electronic component 2251 and the
electronic component 2253, while the electronic component 2251 and
the electronic component 2253 may have a same or similar height. In
some embodiments, the difference between D3 and D4 may be in a
range of between approximately 50 and approximately 400 um.
In embodiments, the thermal interface 2261 may include a wired
network 227 of a first TIM surrounded by a second TIM 2281. On the
other hand, the thermal interface 2263 may include a TIM 2283,
without a wired network of the first TIM. In embodiments, the TIM
2283 may be same or similar to the second TIM 2281. The wired
network 227 within the thermal interface 2261 may help to conduct
heat better than the second TIM 2281 alone. Therefore, the time for
conducting heat through the thermal interface 2261 from the
electronic component 2251 may be similar to the time for conducting
heat through the thermal interface 2263 from the electronic
component 2253. In embodiments, the first TIM for the wired network
227 may be a material that conducts heat faster than the second TIM
2281, or the TIM 2283, so that the overall time for conducting heat
through the thermal interface 2261 from the electronic component
2251 may be similar to the time for conducting heat through the
second thermal interface 2263 from the electronic component
2253.
In embodiments, additionally or alternatively, a first thermal
interface, e.g., the thermal interface 2261, may have a same or
similar height as a height of a second thermal interface, e.g., the
thermal interface 2263, but the electronic component, e.g., the
electronic component 2251, may emit more heat, and hence the first
thermal interface, e.g., the thermal interface 2261, may conduct
more heat than the second thermal interface.
FIGS. 3(a)-3(d) illustrate cross section views of example heat
spreader lids, e.g. a heat spreader lid 319, a heat spreader lid
329, a heat spreader lid 339, or a heat spreader lid 349, with a
wired network, e.g., a wired network 317, a wired network 327, a
wired network 337, or a wired network 347, according to various
embodiments. The heat spreader lid, e.g., the heat spreader lid
319, the heat spreader lid 329, the heat spreader lid 339, or the
heat spreader lid 349, may be similar to the heat spreader lid 109,
119, or 129 in FIG. 1, or the heat spreader lid 219 or 229 in FIG.
2.
FIG. 3(a) illustrates the heat spreader lid 319 with the wired
network 317 attached to an inner surface 3191. In embodiments, the
heat spreader lid 319 may be placed over an electronic component
and a substrate, e.g., placed over the electronic component 105 and
the substrate 101 as shown in FIG. 1(a). The wired network 317 may
be part of a thermal interface, e.g., the thermal interface 106 of
the IC package 100 as shown in FIG. 1(a).
In embodiments, the wired network 317 may include a plurality of
units, e.g., a unit 3171, and a unit 3173. The unit 3171 and the
unit 3173 may be of a triangle shape. The unit 3171 and the unit
3173 may be separated from each other with a gap in between.
Additionally or alternatively, the 3171 and the unit 3173 may be in
contact with each other. The wired network 317 may include a metal,
a solder material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver,
iron, steel, or a combination of metal and alloy.
FIG. 3(b) illustrates the heat spreader lid 329 with the wired
network 327 attached to an inner surface 3291. In embodiments, the
wired network 327 may include a plurality of units, e.g., a unit
3271, and a unit 3273. The unit 3271 and the unit 3273 may be of a
rectangle shape, or a twisted rectangle shape. The unit 3271 and
the unit 3273 may be separated from each other with a gap in
between. Additionally or alternatively, the 3271 and the unit 3273
may be in contact with each other. The wired network 327 may
include a metal, a solder material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel,
gold, silver, iron, steel, or a combination of metal and alloy.
FIG. 3(c) illustrates the heat spreader lid 339 with the wired
network 337 attached to an inner surface 3391. In embodiments, the
wired network 337 may include a plurality of units, e.g., a unit
3371, and a unit 3373. The unit 3371 and the unit 3373 may be of a
half circle shape. The unit 3371 and the unit 3373 may be separated
from each other with a gap in between. Additionally or
alternatively, the 3371 and the unit 32373 may be in contact with
each other. The wired network 337 may include a metal, a solder
material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron, steel,
or a combination of metal and alloy.
FIG. 3(d) illustrates the heat spreader lid 349 with the wired
network 347 attached to an inner surface 3491. In embodiments, the
wired network 347 may include a plurality of units, e.g., a unit
3471, and a unit 3473. The unit 3471 and the unit 3473 may be of a
circular shape. The unit 3471 and the unit 3473 may be separated
from each other with a gap in between. Additionally or
alternatively, the 3471 and the unit 3473 may be in contact with
each other. The wired network 347 may include a metal, a solder
material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron, steel,
or a combination of metal and alloy.
In addition, the wired network attached to a heat spreader lid,
e.g., the wired network 317, the wired network 327, the wired
network 337, or the wired network 347, may be deformable. More
details are illustrated in FIGS. 4(a)-4(b).
FIGS. 4(a)-4(b) illustrate cross section views of an example
application of a heat spreader lid, e.g., the heat spreader lid
409, with a wired network, e.g., the wired network 407, to be used
to form a thermal interface in an IC package, e.g., the thermal
interface 4161, according to various embodiments. The heat spreader
lid 409 may be similar to the heat spreader lid 109, 119, or 129 in
FIG. 1, the heat spreader lid 219 or 229 in FIG. 2, or the heat
spreader lid 319, 329, 339, or 349 in FIG. 3.
In embodiments, the wired network 407 may include a plurality of
units of various shapes, as shown in FIGS. 3(a)-3(d). A unit, e.g.,
a unit 4071, of the wired network 407 may be deformable. For
example, in the process of forming a thermal interface, the unit
4071 may change its height, width, shape, or others. In this way, a
heat spreader lid 409 may be able to be applied to package
different electronic components with different heights, increasing
the flexibility of the applications for the heat spreader lid.
For example, the heat spreader lid 409 may be applied to form an IC
package 410. The IC package 410 may include a substrate 411, an
electronic component 4151, and an electronic component 4153. The
heat spreader lid 409 may be placed over the electronic component
4151, the electronic component 4153, and the substrate 411, where a
thermal interface 4161 may be formed between the heat spreader lid
409 and the electronic component 4151, and a thermal interface 4163
may be formed between the heat spreader lid 409 and the electronic
component 4153. In embodiments, the thermal interface 4161 may have
a height D1, and the thermal interface 4163 may have a height D2,
where D1 may be larger than D2. The wired network 407 may be a part
of the thermal interface 4161. In forming the thermal interface
4161, a unit 4071 of the wired network 407 may change its shape,
from a triangle shape of the unit 4071 to include two parts, a part
4072, and another part 4074 to be contained within the thermal
interface 4161. There may be other forms of changes for the unit
4071 of the wired network 407, not shown for simplicity
reasons.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example computer device 500 that may employ
the apparatuses and/or methods described herein (e.g., an
electronic system assembled on a PCB with IC packages, e.g., the IC
package 100, the IC package 110, the IC package 120, the IC package
210, the IC package 220, or the IC package 410), in accordance with
various embodiments. Components of the computing device 500 may be
housed in an enclosure (e.g., housing 508). The motherboard 502 may
include a number of components, including but not limited to a
processor 504 and at least one communication chip 506. The
processor 504 may be physically and electrically coupled to the
motherboard 502. In some implementations, the at least one
communication chip 506 may also be physically and electrically
coupled to the motherboard 502. In further implementations, the
communication chip 506 may be part of the processor 504.
Depending on its applications, computing device 500 may include
other components that may or may not be physically and electrically
coupled to the motherboard 502. These other components may include,
but are not limited to, volatile memory (e.g., DRAM), non-volatile
memory (e.g., ROM), flash memory, a graphics central processing
unit (CPU), a digital signal processor, a crypto processor, a
chipset, an antenna, a display, a touchscreen display, a
touchscreen controller, a battery, an audio codec, a video codec, a
power amplifier, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a
compass, a Geiger counter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a
speaker, a camera, and a mass storage device (such as hard disk
drive, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and so
forth). These components may be included in IC packages, e.g., the
IC package 100, the IC package 110, the IC package 120, the IC
package 210, the IC package 220, or the IC package 410. The
components, such as the processor 504, the communication chip 506,
DRAM, ROM, GPS, may have different heights.
The communication chip 506 may enable wireless communications for
the transfer of data to and from the computing device 500. The term
"wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits,
devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels,
etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated
electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does
not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires,
although in some embodiments they might not. The communication chip
506 may implement any of a number of wireless standards or
protocols, including but not limited to Institute for Electrical
and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards including Wi-Fi (IEEE
802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.16-2005
Amendment), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) project along with any
amendments, updates, and/or revisions (e.g., advanced LTE project,
ultra mobile broadband (UMB) project (also referred to as "3GPP2"),
etc.). IEEE 802.16 compatible broadband wireless access (BWA)
networks are generally referred to as WiMAX networks, an acronym
that stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access,
which is a certification mark for products that pass conformity and
interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 standards. The
communication chip 506 may operate in accordance with a Global
System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High
Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA), or LTE network.
The communication chip 506 may operate in accordance with Enhanced
Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network
(GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or
Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). The communication chip 506 may operate in
accordance with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division
Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless
Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO),
derivatives thereof, as well as any other wireless protocols that
are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. The communication chip
506 may operate in accordance with other wireless protocols in
other embodiments.
The computing device 500 may include a plurality of communication
chips 506. For instance, a first communication chip 506 may be
dedicated to shorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth and a second communication chip 506 may be dedicated
to longer range wireless communications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS,
CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, and others.
In various implementations, the computing device 500 may be a
mobile computing device, a laptop, a netbook, a notebook, an
ultrabook, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), an ultra mobile PC, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a
server, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an
entertainment control unit, a digital camera, a portable music
player, or a digital video recorder. In further implementations,
the computing device 500 may be any other electronic device that
processes data.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example process 440 of forming a deformable
wired network on a surface of a heat spreader lid, according to
various embodiments. The process 440 may be applied to form the
wired network 407 on the heat spreader lid 409.
In operation 441, the process 440 may include placing an array of
solder balls on a template. In operation 443, the process 440 may
include heating an array of pins above the melting temperature of
solder. In operation 445, the process 440 may include transferring
the array of solder balls to the tip of the array of pins. In
operation 447, the process 440 may include placing the array of
solder balls in contact with a surface of a heat spreader lid and
forming intermetallic solder joints between the array of solder
balls and the surface of the heat spreader lid. In operation 449,
the process 440 may include pulling the solder joints using the
array of pins to a distance to create thin neck structures in the
middle of the solder joints. In operation 451, the process 440 may
include cooling down the array of pins and the solder joints. In
operation 453, the process 440 may include breaking the thin neck
structures by pulling further the array of pins to create a wired
network on the surface of the heat spreader lid. In operation 455,
the process 440 may include placing the heat spreader lid on a
substrate and a die.
Some non-limiting Examples are provided below.
Example 1 may include an integrated circuit (IC) package,
comprising: a substrate; an electronic component having a first
surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein
the first surface is coupled to a surface of the substrate by a
connector; and a heat spreader lid over the electronic component
and the substrate, wherein the heat spreader lid is coupled to the
electronic component through a thermal interface between an inner
surface of the heat spreader lid and the second surface, and the
thermal interface includes: a wired network of a first thermal
interface material (TIM); and a second TIM, wherein the second TIM
surrounds the wired network.
Example 2 may include the IC package of example 1 and/or some other
examples herein, wherein the wired network is deformable.
Example 3 may include the IC package of example 1 and/or some other
examples herein, wherein the first TIM includes a metal, a solder
material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver, iron, steel,
or a combination of metal and alloy.
Example 4 may include the IC package of example 1 and/or some other
examples herein, wherein the second TIM includes an epoxy resin, a
cyanoacrylate, a thermal grease, a thermal gel, a phase-change
material, a polymer, or a ceramic material.
Example 5 may include the IC package of example 1 and/or some other
examples herein, wherein the wired network is separated from the
inner surface of the heat spreader lid, and the wired network is
separated from the second surface.
Example 6 may include the IC package of example 1 and/or some other
examples herein, wherein the wired network is in physical contact
with the inner surface of the heat spreader lid.
Example 7 may include the IC package of any of examples 1-6 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the wired network is completely
within an enclosure of the second surface and a corresponding
portion of the inner surface of the heat spreader lid.
Example 8 may include the IC package of any of examples 1-6 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the connector between the first
surface and the surface of the substrate is a stud, a wire-bonding
wire, a bump, a ball, or a solder pillar.
Example 9 may include the IC package of any of examples 1-6 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the IC package is a chip scale
package (CSP), a wafer-level package (WLP), a multi-chip package
(WCP), a quad-flat no-leads (QFN) package, a dual-flat no-leads
(DFN) package, a flip chip package, or a ball grid array (BGA)
package.
Example 10 may include the IC package of any of examples 1-6 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the electronic component is a
first electronic component, the thermal interface between the inner
surface of the heat spreader lid and the second surface is a first
thermal interface, and the IC package further includes: a second
electronic component between the substrate and the heat spreader
lid, wherein the second electronic component has a third surface
coupled to the inner surface of the heat spreader lid by a second
thermal interface, the second thermal interface includes a third
TIM same as the second TIM of the first thermal interface, and a
first distance between the inner surface of the heat spreader lid
and the second surface is larger than a second distance between the
inner surface of the heat spreader lid and the third surface.
Example 11 may include the IC package of example 10 and/or some
other examples herein, wherein the second electronic component has
a fourth surface coupled to the surface of the substrate, and the
second electronic component is placed on the surface of the
substrate in parallel with the first electronic component.
Example 12 may include the IC package of example 10 and/or some
other examples herein, wherein the second electronic component is
placed between the second surface and the inner surface of the heat
spreader lid, and has a fourth surface coupled to a portion of the
second surface.
Example 13 may include the IC package of example 10 and/or some
other examples herein, wherein a difference between the first
distance and the second distance is between about 50 micrometers
(um) and about 400 um.
Example 14 may include an electronic device, comprising: a heat
spreader lid, wherein the heat spreader lid includes an inner
surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface; and a
deformable wired network attached to the inner surface of the heat
spreader lid, wherein the wired network includes a first thermal
interface material (TIM).
Example 15 may include the electronic device of example 14 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the first TIM includes a metal,
a solder material, copper, aluminum, tin, nickel, gold, silver,
iron, steel, or a combination of metal and alloy.
Example 16 may include the electronic device of example 14 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the wired network includes a
plurality of units, a unit of the plurality of units is of a
triangle shape, a half circle shape, a circular shape, or a
rectangle shape.
Example 17 may include the electronic device of example 16 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein a first unit of the plurality
of units is connected to a second unit of the plurality of units of
the wired network.
Example 18 may include the electronic device of any of examples
14-16 and/or some other examples herein, further including: a
substrate; and an electronic component having a first surface and a
second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein the first
surface is coupled to a surface of the substrate by a connector,
the heat spreader lid is over the electronic component and the
substrate, the heat spreader lid is coupled to the electronic
component through a thermal interface between the inner surface of
the heat spreader lid and the second surface, and the thermal
interface includes the wired network, and a second TIM, wherein the
second TIM surrounds the wired network.
Example 19 may include the electronic device of example 18 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the second TIM includes an
epoxy resin, a cyanoacrylate, a thermal grease, a thermal gel, a
phase-change material, a polymer, or a ceramic material.
Example 20 may include the electronic device of example 18 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the connector between the first
surface and the surface of the substrate is a stud, a wire-bonding
wire, a bump, a ball, or a solder pillar.
Example 21 may include the electronic device of example 18 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the electronic device is a chip
scale package (CSP), a wafer-level package (WLP), a multi-chip
package (WCP), a quad-flat no-leads (QFN) package, a dual-flat
no-leads (DFN) package, a flip chip package, or a ball grid array
(BGA) package.
Example 22 may include an electronic system, comprising: a printed
circuit board (PCB); and an integrated circuit (IC) package affixed
to the PCB, wherein the IC package includes: a substrate; an
electronic component having a first surface and a second surface
opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface is coupled
to a surface of the substrate by a connector; and a heat spreader
lid over the electronic component and the substrate, wherein the
heat spreader lid is coupled to the electronic component through a
thermal interface between an inner surface of the heat spreader lid
and the second surface, and the thermal interface includes: a wired
network of a first thermal interface material (TIM), wherein the
wired network is deformable; and a second TIM, wherein the second
TIM surrounds the wired network.
Example 23 may include the electronic system of example 22 and/or
some other examples herein, wherein the electronic component is a
first electronic component, the thermal interface between the inner
surface of the heat spreader lid and the second surface is a first
thermal interface, and the IC package further includes: a second
electronic component between the substrate and the heat spreader
lid, wherein the second electronic component has a third surface
coupled to the inner surface of the heat spreader lid by a second
thermal interface, the second thermal interface includes a third
TIM same as the second TIM of the first thermal interface, and a
distance between the inner surface of the heat spreader lid and the
second surface is larger than a distance between the inner surface
of the heat spreader lid and the third surface.
Example 24 may include the electronic system of any of examples
22-23 and/or some other examples herein, wherein the second
electronic component has a fourth surface coupled to the surface of
the substrate, and the second electronic component is placed on the
surface of the substrate in parallel with the first electronic
component.
Example 25 may include the electronic system of any of examples
22-23 and/or some other examples herein, wherein the second
electronic component is placed between the second surface and the
inner surface of the heat spreader lid, and has a fourth surface
coupled to a portion of the second surface.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made in the disclosed
embodiments of the disclosed device and associated methods without
departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is
intended that the present disclosure covers the modifications and
variations of the embodiments disclosed above provided that the
modifications and variations come within the scope of any claims
and their equivalents.
* * * * *
References